Abstract
Recently scientists concerned with extinct languages have joined linguists’ efforts to write spatial grammars of the languages of the world in order to understand the underlying universal cognitive principles governing the expression of space. The PhD thesis outlined in this article collects and analyzes the spatial expressions – case, deictic verbs, syntax, local particles, adverbs, and place words – of Hittite, an Indo-European language spoken in central Anatolia some 3500 years ago. It becomes clear that, although the lack of native speakers has serious impacts on the depth of understanding one can attain, Hittite contributes interesting data for the typological studies, as it e. g. suggests a subtler semantic fractionation of the topological domain and an extension of Talmy”s lexicalisation pattern of dynamic verbs.